Learning & Talent Development Manager

Exponent•Menlo Park, CA

7d•$125,000 - $155,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Learning & Talent Development Manager plays a key role in strengthening how consultants grow, develop, and progress throughout their careers at Exponent. This role is responsible for building and delivering learning and professional development initiatives that support consultant effectiveness, leadership readiness, and long-term career growth. The focus is on helping employees build the skills and capabilities needed to succeed at each stage of their careers (from onboarding through leadership transitions) while ensuring development programs remain practical, relevant, and scalable. This is a hands-on role suited for someone skilled in building programs, solving problems, and turning business and talent needs into effective development solutions. While the role sets direction for learning and development, it is equally focused on execution and continuous improvement.

Requirements

10-15 + years of experience in HR, Talent Development, People Operations, or related roles, where learning, development, or employee growth was a meaningful part of the role.
Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources or other related field.
Experience in professional services, consulting, or similarly complex organizations is preferred.
Experience building, improving, or scaling programs, processes, or systems that support employee development or progression.
Demonstrated ability to own end-to-end delivery (scoping, timelines, execution, and launch), driving work forward with minimal oversight.
Strong project and stakeholder management skills, including prioritizing work, managing dependencies, and removing blockers to expedite delivery.
Experience translating ambiguous needs into clear plans, deliverables, and decisions, then iterating quickly based on feedback and outcomes.
Proven ability to drive adoption through clear communication, practical enablement, and thoughtful change management.
A strong independent thinker who can assess needs, research options, and determine practical solutions.
Thrives in evolving environments, navigating ambiguity and building solutions without established processes.
Highly solutions-focused, with a bias for action.
Identifies what will move the work forward and executes with urgency.
Able to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution.
Organized and systems-minded, with the ability to design solutions that are scalable and sustainable.
Comfortable partnering with leaders and employees at different levels of the organization.
Curious and open to new tools, technologies, and approaches, particularly where they can improve learning effectiveness.
Presently legally authorized to work in the United States. No immigration sponsorship or processing required.

Responsibilities

Design and deliver professional development programs that support consultants as they progress through different career stages.
Build and maintain career-aligned development pathways that strengthen consulting skills, leadership readiness, and technical or functional growth.
Partner with HR and business leaders to understand common development needs and ensure learning programs support advancement and readiness for increased responsibility.
Support development at key transition points, such as onboarding, early-career ramp-up, and transition into leadership roles.
Ensure development opportunities are accessible, relevant, and consistently applied across the organization.
Design, launch, and continuously improve learning and development initiatives, including onboarding, professional skills development, and leadership programs.
Translate business and talent needs into practical learning solutions that respect consultant time and drive meaningful skill development.
Partner with internal subject-matter experts to incorporate real-world experience and practical application into development offerings.
Take a hands-on approach to program execution, from concept through delivery and refinement.
Leverage learning systems and tools to deliver development programs efficiently and at scale.
Explore and promote effective use of AI and emerging technologies to enhance learning experiences, knowledge sharing, and skill development.
Stay informed on external trends and research to evolve learning approaches over time, adapting solutions as organizational needs change.
Track participation, engagement, and outcomes for learning and development programs.
Use data and feedback to refine offerings and prioritize improvements.
Share insights with HR leadership to support informed decisions about development priorities and investments.